


Our family is crazy!

by Fantasticoncer



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies), Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Brother-Sister Relationships, Dysfunctional Family, Family Bonding, Family Issues, Father-Daughter Relationship, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, One Shot Collection, Out of Character, Parent Newt Scamander, Parent Original Percival Graves, Protective Newt Scamander, Protective Original Percival Graves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-02-28 00:14:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 21,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13259556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasticoncer/pseuds/Fantasticoncer
Summary: What if Baelfire was not Emma's former boyfriend and Henry's father, but her own adoptive father?





	1. Family revelations

Disclaimer: I don't own fantastic beasts or once upon a time.

Emma P. O. V

I walked into the sheriff office, that now belonged to me. I was followed by my father Percival Graves and my older brother Credence. My other father Newt Scamander was taking care of our magical animals with our younger brother Matthew. Because dad was the former director of Magical Security at MACUSA, he had a lot of enemies. Because of this, he and papa had decided to let the three of us have papa's last name, just in case. I shook my head, putting my stuff on the desk. I looked up and saw Graham's jacket hanging on the coat rack. I frowned, because I thought that Mr. Gold had the jacket.

 _'Speak of the devil.'_ I thought, as I suddenly heard the voice of the pawnbroker, making me, dad and Credence jump. Dad instinctively put us behind him with one arm and reached out with the other, ready to use magic. He quickly realised who it was, however and relaxed a bit, but not fully. He was always wary of the man and it really confused both me and Credence, even little Matthew was a bit confused by it. Nevertheless, I still smiled at dad's protective behaviour. I remembered being an orphan in the foster home, before uncle Malcolm found me and took me to his special orphanage, wishing for a family. Thanks to uncle Malcolm, I finally got a family and while it wasn't exactly normal, I wouldn't give it up for anything. 

I asked Mr. Gold what he wanted. Me, Credence and dad were quickly shocked, when he told us that he had manipulated things to let me win the election, including letting me figure out that he set the fire that wounded Regina, so that I would defy him and show the people of the town that I was fearless.  _' And I thought dad really planned things ahead '_  I thought, thinking of the plans, dad had to put up sometimes for Aurors, back in New York.

Now that I thought about it, the pawnbroker shared other similarities with dad, including having a way with words and knowing how to intimidate someone, even if it they weren't even trying. They could just walk into a room and lie their butts off and everyone would be intimidated and believe them. Of course, dad is not allowed to lie on duty, but still. Shaking my head, I chided myself of over thinking it too much.

Mr. Gold started to leave, reminding us of our deal, the favour that I owed him, but dad stopped him in the hallway. I couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but it sounded like dad was telling him off, showing no fear for him. He never showed fear when either me or my brothers were in danger. I knew that dad and papa would go to the underworld and back, if it meant that we were safe. Gold finally left and dad returned. He sat down with a tired, but relieved sigh. Credence and I sat down across from him. I decided to finally ask something, that had bothered me and Credence ever since we came here. 

Dad had been acting strange ever since we entered Storybrooke. No, he had been acting strange ever since first meeting Gold. He was always wary of him and sometimes even flinched when the pawnbroker came too close. Dad was one of the strongest men we knew and to see him this scared, both worried and scared Credence and I. Matthew didn't fully understand the situation, but he knew that dad wasn't comfortable around the man. And if dad was not comfortable around someone, then Matthew would be wary of him as well 

Still, dad's behaviour worried us. We hadn't seen him scared ever since the incident with the Blind Idiot, Gellert Grindelwald. He had been kidnapped and tortured for information. It was not a time my family liked to think of. Even now, I still get bad chills down my spine by just thinking about it. We almost lost the one person, who made this family happen and held it together. I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. 

I looked at dad. Credence, Matthew and I were really worried about him and wanted to help as much as we can. We had tried to ask papa what was wrong, but he had told us that it was dad's story to tell. Well dad, it's story time! "Dad, what's wrong? You've been acting strange ever since we came here and it scares both me and Credence. Even Matthew has picked up on it. We haven't seen you like this in years and we're starting to get scared. What's wrong, dad? Let us help you, please" I begged him. Dad looked up and saw our worried expressions. He sighed and tried to smile, but it looked very forced. Realising it, he quickly dropped the smile.

He sighed again. "I know and I'm sorry that I'm scaring you so much. It's just that I actually know Mr. Gold from a long time ago and I had hoped that I would never see him ever again." He told us. He looked really pained. I stood up, carrying the chair with me and sat down next to him, hugging him. Credence following my example and hugging him from the other side. We were a very close family and dad rarely shared something from his past. He hugged us both as tightly as he could. Dad may look really stern and cold to the people who did not know him, but he was actually really kind. He was also very strong, but there were times that even he needed comfort. 

"How long has it been since you last saw him, dad?" Credence asked. Dad looked between us, before sighing. "Three hundred years, give or take." He answered. My mouth fell open as I looked at him. From the corner of my eye, I saw that Credence had the same expression. Only the facts that dad never pranked us and that this was a serious situation, kept us from laughing.

"How are you still alive!?" I asked him, once the shock was a bit over. He shrugged. "Your uncle Malcolm." He answered, showing a small smile for the first time. Credence and I looked at each other, before acknowledging that point. Uncle Malcolm did once say that he knew dad for a very long time. "Okay, so how do you know Mr. Gold? And how did _he_  survive these three centuries?" I asked. 

Dad sighed for the umpteenth time. "He survived, because of a dark and terrible curse. A curse that he took for me and has corrupted the kind, good man that I once knew." He told us. I looked at Credence, having a bad feeling where this was going. "And I know him, because... because he's my father." Dad finally admitted, looking at the both of us. Our jaws were lying on the floor again and I felt a bit faint in my head. Mr. Gold was my _grandfather_ ~~~~?!


	2. A weird Valentine's day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentine's day, but not everyone is in a good mood

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate version of "skin deep"

Disclaimer: I don't own Fantastic beasts and Once upon a time.

_Percival P. O. V_

I was walking down the street, my left arm around my husband and my right hand tightly holding my younger son's hand. Matthew was very curious and would suddenly run off, if he saw something that intrigued him. While it wasn't weird behaviour for a seven year old, I didn't want my son to suddenly run across the road and get hit by a car. The thought alone made me grip Matthew's hand tighter. He just looked up at me and smiled. I smiled back at him, bending down a bit to kiss his hair.

I had been uncertain to adopt another child, after the whole situation with Grindelwald. However, Newt really wanted to and I could almost never say no to my husband. So, we had adopted a young boy about two years ago. Emma had grumbled about being the only girl, but had immediately taken on the role of big sister. Credence had been a bit more cautious, but after Matthew had accidentally seen his Obscurus and had simply called it "awesome", he had become a lot more comfortable.

My attention was drawn by something that was happening a few meters ahead. It seems like my father was taking someone's van. ' _probably someone, who is late on payment._ ' I thought bitterly. He really hasn't changed, since I left him. I looked down at Matthew, who had also noticed him and was starting to become nervous. Even though he didn't know the truth, my father still managed to make him uncomfortable. I squeezed my son's hand to comfort him, reminding him that Newt and I were there and that he was safe.

"You are the lowest! People won't put up with this!" The owner of the van shouted, as one of my father's henchmen drove off with it. He kept shouting at him, even as my father walked away and towards us. I took a deep breath, subtly checking if my glamour spell was still working. The spell allowed my father to see me, but blocked him from finding out my true identity.

My father stopped in front of us. "Mr. Graves. Mr. Scamander. Young Mr Scamander." He said, nodding at the three of us, even greeting Matthew. My son hid himself behind my legs. I smiled in polite apology at my father, but he waved it off. "Mr. Gold. Quite a display down there. Was taking his van really necessary?" I asked him. I knew that he would start about deals and contracts, like he had always done.

He did not disappoint. "I'm afraid that my terms are very specific. If you do not have my money at the right date, I am allowed to take something as collateral. It's not my fault that they do not have the money on time. Unlike them, I always hold up my end of a deal." He told us. I raised an eyebrow at that last sentence. Flashes of a green portal went trough my mind. Even after three centuries, I still remembered every detail. I felt my husband squeeze my hand in support, knowing where my mind had gone to. 

I took a deep breath and looked back at my father, who was watching me in slight concern. "Are you alright, Mr. Graves?" He asked. I simply smiled dryly. "I just didn't sleep well last night. Happens to the best of us. We were actually just heading over to Granny's for breakfast." I said, shrugging one shoulder and pointing towards the diner just a few meters ahead. I felt Matthew pull on my sleeve and looked down at him. "Can we have sandwiches?" He asked. I smiled down at him. "Of course, we can have sandwiches." I told him, lifting him up into my arms. He giggled and wrapped his arms around my neck.

I hugged him tightly, needing to hold onto him for a few seconds to remind myself that I was not that lost boy anymore. I was a grown man and I now had a family of my own. Mr. Gold nodded. "Well then. Have a nice breakfast. Good morning." He greeted, nodding at us again, before walking past us. I took a deep breath in relief, Newt rubbing my back in comfort. I felt Matthew's grip tighten around my neck.

"Are you sure that you're okay, daddy?" I smiled at him. "I'll be fine, my boy." I replied, kissing his hair, before putting him down and grabbing his hand again. I looked over my shoulder and saw that my father was being stopped by Regina. I immediately started to walk faster, pulling my husband and son with me. Just my father alone was bad enough, but him and the Evil Queen together just spelled trouble. Trouble that I did not want my family to get involved in.

Walking into the diner, Matthew's face lit up immediately, when he saw a very familiar face. "Emma!" He called happily, running towards his big sister at top speed. All the people in the diner looked up for a second, before looking back down. Emma immediately smiled as she expertly caught her little brother and quickly lifted him up in her arms.

"Hey, little squirt. How are you? Oof, you're really getting big." She said, having trouble holding Matthew up for long. Sitting back down, Emma promptly put him onto her lap. Only now did my son notice the other people who were sitting close-by. "Hi, miss Mary. Hi, miss Ashley. Hi, Mister David." He greeted cheerfully. They all smiled and greeted him back.

Newt went over to the counter to order breakfast, while I walked over towards our children. "How are you, Emma?" I asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She smiled up at me. "Im fine, dad. How about you?" She asked. In the corner of my eye, I saw David frown, before looking confused at his own reaction. I knew that it was a hint of Prince Charming showing himself. Leaving it alone for now, I smiled at my eldest daughter. "I'm fine, sweetheart." I said, kissing her head. I stood up straight again and started to walk towards the table behind her.

"Mr. Graves, you can sit here if you want." David offered, motioning towards the empty couch in his booth. I turned to him. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude." I said, but the former prince insisted. I went to sit on the couch, Newt sitting down next to me and Matthew sitting down next to David. I saw Emma sending me a hidden smirk and I knew why. All three of her fathers were now sitting in close proximity. Ruby came by with drinks: apple juice for Matthew, tea for Newt and coffee for me.

"We met Mr. Gold a few minutes ago." My youngest son told everyone. Emma immediately sent me a concerned look. Ever since I told them that he was my father, Emma and Credence had really been looking out for me, especially concerning my father. I smiled at her, assuring her that I was alright. She looked sceptical, but was unable to do anything right now.

"Really? How was it?" Mary Margaret asked my youngest child, oblivious to our silent conversation. Matthew shrugged. "It was alright. He and daddy talked a bit and he left. He is creepy tough." He said. Ruby, who had been serving our breakfast, scoffed loudly. "Tell me about it. Gold can be an absolute ba...."  she cut herself off when I glared at her, warning her not to swear in front of my son. "....jerk." She finally said, giving me a look. Some people nodded in agreement. I looked around and sighed. My father really had made a reputation for himself.

We stayed in the diner for longer than I realised, chatting with everyone for at least two hours. After a while, Emma's mobile ringed. It was the sheriff's office, telling her that someone had broken in somewhere. After quickly hugging the three of us and saying goodbye to the others, she left. Ruby turned towards me. "By the way, where's Credence? Normally, he's with you guys or with Emma." She said, trying to be casual.

I knew, however, that she had a small crush on my oldest son. I smiled at her. "He was still sleeping when we left. I think that he will be up soon." I said. In truth, Credence was actually very close by. He was in Newt's case, taking care of a sick mooncalf and making sure that the niffler didn't escape. Ruby nodded, a bit disappointed and left. Me and Newt shared a look, before eating our breakfasts, trying to hide our smiles. We chatted with Mary Margaret and David for a while, before paying for our food and leaving as well.

_Third person P. O. V_

At the back of the diner, Ruby walked towards Granny. "That was creepy." She said. Granny looked at her in confusion. What was creepy?" She asked. Ruby motioned her head towards the family, who had just left. "Mr. Graves. When he glared at me for almost cursing in front of his son, he looked almost exactly like Mr. Gold." She replied. Granny just looked at her, extremely sceptical. "You're just seeing things, Ruby. Mr. Graves and Mr Gold are not even related." She said, turning to go back to work. Ruby thought for a few seconds, before shrugging. Granny had a point.

_A few hours later_

_Percival P. O. V_

I quickly walked into the sheriff's office. I had been taking a walk around town with Newt and Matthew, when Emma had called to tell me that someone had broken into my father's house and stolen several things. She had recovered most of the things at the house of the man, whose van was taken by my father this morning. Apparently, Emma had missed something important and my father had vowed to find the man himself.

Knowing my father's reputation, this could not mean anything good. I immediately went to search one part of town and Emma went to search another. I finally found him in the pharmacy store, having a chat with David, wile buying things that included ductape. I walked in as casual as I could, greeting the two men like nothing was wrong. "Hello, Mr. Graves. Did Emma solve the break in?" David asked, holding two Valentine's cards.

I looked at the cards in suspicion, knowing that this whole "secret relationship" situation between him and Mary Magaret was going to blow up soon, before I looked back at my daughter's biological father. "I honestly wouldn't know. I haven't seen Emma after that. And please call me Percival." I said. He nodded in agreement. Meanwhile, my father had taken the chance to walk out with his bought things.

I flicked my wrist under the pretence of looking at my watch and put a tracker spell on his shoelace. A weird place to put it, but small and easy to miss. Quickly rounding up my conversation with David, I walked around the store for a bit, making sure that I didn't look suspicious and hanging around long enough, so that my father thought that I would not follow him.

The tracker brought me to a cabin in the woods. I could see the taken van parked outside and heard voices from in the cabin. I quickly called Emma and told her where I was. She promised to be there in a few minutes time. Just as I hung up, I could hear a man screaming in pain from the inside and my father shouting at him, asking where "it" was. I closed my eyes tightly as I heard the man screaming, hoping that Emma was here soon.

I knew that if I went in now, my father would know that I had followed him. I tried to block out the sounds from within the cabin. My father really had not changed in the last three hundred years. I heard my father scream about something being the other man's fault and how someone was gone. I felt really confused, but when the screaming started again, I knew that it was not important right now. 

I felt as enormous relief as Emma finally pulled up in the sheriff's car. She stepped out and opened her mouth to ask what was going on, when she heard the screams coming from the cabin. Her face changed into one of horror and she stormed into the cabin, me right behind her. Emma grabbed my father's arm, before he could hit the other man with his cane again.

I stood in front of the other man, my arms spread out. Emma quickly pulled my father out of the cabin and I helped the bound man, Mr. French, out of the cabin. As we walked out, I saw my daughter already calling the ambulance. I helped Mr. French out of the ductape that his arms were bound in. I put him on a tree stump that was in front of the cabin and stayed close to him, until the ambulance arrived. 

Once Mr. French had been put in the ambulance, Emma and I turned towards my father. "So I hear you managed not break anything he needs. You're lucky, Mr. Gold." Emma said. My father scoffed at that. "You got a funny definition of  _lucky_." He said. I frowned at him. "And you have a funny definition of justice. What did he really do?" I asked. He turned towards me and I tried my best not to flinch

"He stole." My father answered simply. Emma frowned. "That reaction was about more than taking a few trinkets. You said something about how he hurt "her", what happened to "her"? Who was that? What did he do? If someone needs help, maybe I can help." She offered. My father scoffed. "No. I'm sorry, Sheriff, Mr. Graves. I think you heard that wrong." He answered. I raised my eyebrow at that, knowing that I hadn't heard anything wrong. 

"So, you really don't wanna cooperate?" I asked, a slight warning in my voice. My father turned towards me, unimpressed. "Look, we're done here." He said in a dismissive tone, turning around to walk away, only for Emma to grab his arm _. "_ Actually... No, we're not. You're under arrest." She said, putting cuffs on his wrists. Putting him in the back of the car, my daughter gave me a look. I shrugged, knowing that she had no choice. We got into the car and drove off _._

Emma dropped me off at the bed and breakfast, promising that she would be back soon. I stepped into our room and was immediately attacked by a small, human missile. I smiled as I lifted Matthew in my arms and hugged him tightly. Newt came towards us and gave me a welcoming kiss, before pulling back and resting his forehead against mine, one hand on my shoulder and the other on our son's back.

I put Matthew down and gave my husband a proper hug, needing the comfort that he always gave me. He softly stroked my back, sensing that something bad had happened. Credence came into the room from Newt's case and smiled at us, before looking around in confusion. "Where's Emma?" He asked. I sighed, pulling back from my husband's embrace, even though he still kept holding onto my arm. 

"Right now, she's putting Mr. Gold into a cell at the station." I said simply. Both my husband and my oldest son looked at me in shock and slight concern. I just shrugged, knowing that my father deserved it and that he would not be in a cell for long. Matthew broke the slight tension by yawning deeply, softly leaning against my left leg. I smiled at him and lifted him back into my arms. 

"Shouldn't you be in bed, young man?" I asked. Mathew just yawned again. "I wanted to wait for you and Emma." He said softly. I smiled at him and kissed his head, carrying him towards his bed and tucked him in, glad that he already was wearing his pyjamas. I kissed his head and softly told him to go to sleep. He did not even protest, closing his eyes and falling asleep in just a matter of seconds. 

Turning around, I was met by my husband and oldest son staring at me in disbelief. "You arrested Mr. Gold?! Newt asked incredulously. I shrugged and softly told them about what my father had done and the beating he had given Mr French. They both listened in horror. "And you are related _how?!"_ Credence asked in a disbelieving tone. I couldn't help, but smile at that, just as Emma used her magic to open the door and walked into the room

_The next day._

_Mr. Gold P. O. V._

I smirked, as I felt the other presence in the room. I had just revealed to Regina that I knew who I was and she had left after giving me my chipped cup. "Come and say hello, dearie." I called out, Miss Scamander having left with young Henry. Footsteps were heard in the hallway and Percival Graves stepped into the room. The man had been a mystery to me, ever since he had arrived here with his family.

"Hello, Rumplestilskin." Mr. Graves said with a cold tone. I looked at him, slightly intrigued. " Oh, so you know me? Tell me, how did you make sure that Regina did not see you?" I asked. The other man just smirked. "I have my ways." He said, moving his sleeve to show a wooden stick in a holster strapped to his wrist: a wand. I looked at the man in shock and confusion.

"That's not possible. There is no magic here." I said, frowning at the man. He smirked again, chuckling softly. "Shows how much you know _, dearie._ " He said, spitting out the nickname that I always used, like it was poison. He slowly walked closer, not even glancing at the cup that I was holding. He stared straight into my eyes, his own eyes glowing in determination.

"Now, listen to me very carefully. I know that my daughter is destined to break the curse that  _you_ made and I will help her with that in any way I can, but try and use anyone of  _my_ family for your own gain and I  _will_ find that precious dagger of yours and I will ram it straight through your black heart. Am I clear?" He asked in a low, threatening tone.

I was too surprised by his knowledge to answer. The man on the other side of the bars just looked at me, waiting for an answer. But I was not that easily intimidated "Is that a threat?" I asked. Mr. Graves shook his head with a smile. "Oh no, sir. It's a promise." He said darkly. I looked at him, unable to do anything right now. "How do you know about my dagger?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. "Someone told me about it once and what it can do." He replied simply, before shaking his head. "Not the point. Now, if you leave my family alone, except for the favour that my daughter owes you, then I will leave you alone. Do we have a deal?" He asked, holding out his hand for me to shake. After several seconds, I took it. Mr. Graves looked at me in satisfaction, before turning around and starting to leave. Closer to the door, he turned around again. "Oh. I almost forgot to tell you, but Peter Pan sends his greetings." He said. I looked at him in horror, now knowing who he had meant by "Someone". He just smirked at me and walked out.  

Third person P. O. V

Percival just walked out of the station, when his phone rang. Picking it up, he heard the voice of his oldest son at the other end _._ Credence had gone to the hospital to see if Mr French was alright.  _' Hey dad, you may want to come to the hospital, as soon as possible.'_ Credence said in a nervous tone. Percival frowned in confusion. "Why? Is there something wrong with Mr. French?" He asked.

"Not exactly." Credence said, the image of the young woman inside of the cell that was underneath the hospital, still fresh in his mind. He had seen Regina go in there with a satisfied smirk on her face. After checking in on Mr. French he had walked out and waited until she had left. Using his powers, he had floated inside through the crack underneath the door, while invisible. He had knocked out the nurse and janitor and had used his powers to mess up the video footage.  

He knew that Emma and his fathers would be pissed at him, but desperate times call for desperate measures. He had peeked into every cell, until he had found one with a young woman in it. He had recognised her from Henry's book. It was Belle: the true love of his grandfather, who was believed to be dead after Regina had apparently lied to Gold. Things had suddenly become a lot more complicated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that it took so long. I'll try and update this story more often
> 
> R&R. See you next time.


	3. Pinocchio's bad week

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> August tries to trick Rumple. Percival is not amused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Au of "the return."

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Credence P. O. V

I quietly hummed a little song, as I polished some items in the back of Mr. Gold's shop. A few days after we had discovered Belle, he had offered me a job to help him with the shop. Dad had been very reluctant to let me do this, but I had actually really wanted to. I wanted to know my grandfather, as weird as it still was to think that my boss was also my grandfather and I was starting to get bored. Emma had her job as sheriff, so I wanted to do something too. Finally, dad had allowed me to take the job, but not before telling me to tell him if anything happened. 

We had saved Belle from her prison and sent her to uncle Malcolm for a while, so that she would be safe from Regina. The poor woman was absolutely traumatised by her experience, so we knew that it was better if she stayed away from Storybrooke for a while. Regina still hadn't noticed that the "Belle" in the basement was actually an illusion made by dad. Hopefully, she would never find out. 

Mr. Gold came to see how I was doing, just as the bell in front the shop jingled, indicating that he had a customer. I smiled as I heard Henry's voice, talking about how he wanted a gift for miss Blanchard. Boy, had that been a complete mess. Mary Margaret and David had an "affair", which blew up big time (does it still count as an affair, even though they are already married, but don't remember it?) 

Kathryn, David's wife during the curse, had gone missing and every piece of evidence had been pointing towards Mary Margaret. My family had tried to help her to the best of our abilities, but it was almost in vain. It was only because of Kathryn's reappearance that Mary Margaret's name was cleared in the nick of time. A party was going to be held in her apartment tonight and we were invited.

My smile turned into a frown, when I noticed the door behind me open and saw August Booth enter the wrong side of the shop. He immediately started to search the shelves, not even noticing me sitting there and not knowing that he was already busted. I heard Henry leaving with a bell that he had bought and smirked, resting my chin on my hand. "Mr. Gold!" I called, making the man jump and turn towards me in panic.

My grandfather entered and saw August. He raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "Can we help you?" He asked. Now, August looked incredibly busted. "Yeah... I'm looking for some maps. I'm a bit of a collector." He quickly said. I'm no Auror, but even I could see that he was lying. Mr. Gold raised his eyebrow higher, not believing him either. "Yes... well, there's maps through in the shop; this is my office." He said, gesturing towards the front of the shop. 

August frowned. "I thought this was the entrance.." He stuttered. Grandfather cut him off. "It's not. My assistant works here. The shop's in there." He said, gesturing to the front once again. August quickly walked through the curtain. Grandfather looked at me and I shrugged, silently telling that I had no idea what he was looking for and that he hadn't taken anything. He returned to the front and my eyes widened as I realised that I had started to mentally call him my grandfather.  _'Either I'm getting used to the idea, or my life really is just really weird. Probably the latter'_ I thought, before resuming my work

A few hours later, I was reordering things in the displays in front of the shop, when Regina walked in. Seeing her thunderous expression, grandfather quickly turned towards me. "Credence, why don't you go to Granny's and get us some lunch. I would like a hamburger and ice tea." He said, holding out some money. I quickly grabbed it and gave him a mock salute. "Yes, sir." I said, before turning around and quickly leaving, nodding politely at the woman, even though I really wanted to let my obscurus loose on her. I quickly walked down the street, before that thought became reality.

 _That evening_.

Third person P. O. V

Percival smiled softly as he filled his plate once again. Newt was at the table with a dozing Matthew. He was telling stories of his travels, making sure that he replaced the names of the magical creatures with those of mundane ones (Nundu/lion, etc). Mary Margaret looked at the amount of people in her apartment in wonder, before turning towards him. "Are all these people here to welcome me home?" She asked. During her imprisonment, she and Percival had become good friends, much to Emma's surprise and confusion. 

Percival smiled and shrugged. "They are probably trying to ease their guilt about not believing that you were innocent." He said. She nodded at that, before looking at Emma, who was standing a few feet away. She leaned closer to him. "I don't mean to worry you, but Emma seemed really stressed today. It seems like something is bothering her, even though Kathryn is found." She whispered. 

Percival immediately frowned and looked at Emma as well. She looked alright, but he knew that she could use music to make things seem that way. He would have to watch her in the next few days. He nodded at Mary Margaret in thanks and grabbed his plate, walking towards the table. He walked past August Booth, completely ignoring the look that the other man gave him.

August looked at the Auror as he walked past. He knew that the man was actually Baelfire, but was unable to tell anyone. Ten years ago, he had gone to the man and had tried to tell him that it was for the best if he let Emma go, so that she could follow her destiny, showing his knowledge in an effort to make the man see things his way. What he hadn't known, was that Baelfire had magic as well.

The protective father had teleported them to the other side of America and had warned him to stay away from his family, using his magic to ensure that August would not be able to tell anyone about who he truly was, before turning to leave. August had begged him to reconsider, saying that it was for the greater good. August still remembered the other man's reaction to this day.

Percival had stiffened considerably, before slowly turning around. His eyes had been flashing dangerously and August had finally seen the resemblance between the man and his father.  _"Do not ever say those words to me again."_ Percival had said, before warning him to stay away once again and disappearing. August had tried to go and find them again, but had been unable to even enter the part of New York where they lived. 

He sighed, before softly talking to Henry about what he was looking for, unaware that Newt was standing right behind him, having given Matthew to Credence, who had left with him after that. The Magizoologist listened intently as the man talked about "it" finding him. Percival had told him what August had tried to make him do, once he had returned from dropping him off and Newt had immediately felt a great dislike for him. Emma was their daughter and if this man thought that they would abandon her, just like that, he was insane.

Newt tightened his grip on his case and walked away. Just in time, as August turned around to watch Henry give his gift to Mary Margaret. Newt joined his husband and quietly told him about what he had heard. They both knew that he was planning something, having heard about him sneaking into the shop from Credence, but they had no idea what. They would keep a close eye on him and on Emma. 

 _A couple of days later_. 

Credence looked at his boss/grandfather in slight concern. The man had given him the day before off and now he was looking very troubled. "Are you alright, Mr. Gold? He asked. The other man visibly shook himself and looked at him. "I'm fine, Credence. It's nothing." He said, resuming his work. Credence just gave him a look, not believing him. Mr. Gold sighed and looked up again.

"It's something personal, Credence. Please give it a rest." He said. Credence nodded, but still looked concerned. "Isn't that what Archie is for?" He asked. Mr. Gold smirked at that. "I don't want that cricket to chirp my secrets around to people." He said, thinking that Credence would think his words a figure of speech. The young man looked down. "You mean to a certain queen?" He asked.

Mr. Gold looked at him in surprise and he smirked. "My sister is destined to break the curse, Rumplestilskin. Did you honestly think that dad was the only one who knew about it?" He asked. He and his family had talked about it and had decided to tell Mr. Gold that they knew, wanting to see what he would do. Mr. Gold raised an eyebrow, before chuckling, very impressed. 

"I have to say that I'm impressed. You would almost say that none of you know about it, considering how long it's taking your sister to break it." He said. Credence glared at him. "Well, none of us have ever broken a curse that was of this size and power. We've been reading ever since we got here." He defended his family. Mr. Gold just smirked and he rolled his eyes. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you or not?" He asked, changing the subject. Mr. Gold looked at him, trying to see if he could trust the younger man.

_The next day._

Credence was standing at the door of the shop, patiently waiting for Mr. Gold to arrive and open it. His grandfather had told him who he believed August to be and Credence had tried to help him as much as he could, without letting it show that he knew that August wasn't Baelfire. He looked up as a familiar car finally pulled up to the curb and his grandfather stepped out.

The older man gave him a look and Credence could see that he had found out that August wasn't his son. He looked down for a second, before looking back up, knowing that the man didn't want any pity or sympathy. Mr. Gold seemed to know what he was doing and smiled a bit at him, before opening the shop and walking in. Credence quickly followed him. The rest of the day passed as if nothing had happened

 _That evening_. 

August groaned in pain, feeling his leg stiffen even more. He looked up at hearing someone banging on the door of his room. Having a feeling who that could be, August tried to stand up, only for the door to open on its own. A very unamused Percival was standing on the other side, glaring at him. He walked inside and closed the door behind him, casting several spells to make sure that no one would hear what they said. 

He slowly turned around and looked at the man on the bed. "Previously on August screws the pooch. I warned you to stay away from my family, instead: you go and try to trick the most dangerous member of it. Your Disney counterpart had at least good reason to make stupid decisions. He was a child. You are a fully grown man." He said. August tried to glare back at him, but his leg was bothering him too much. 

Percival looked at his leg in mock sympathy. "Oh dear. Turning back into wood, Pinocchio?" He asked, sounding a lot like his father. At seeing August giving him a surprised look, he shrugged. "I have my sources. Old friends of mine, who have been keeping an eye on you." He said, not really lying. He had asked a certain friend to send his helpers to watch the man in front of him, not wanting him close to his family again. 

August glared at him. "If you had let Emma go, this wouldn't be happening to me." He said, breathing deeply through the pain. Percival gave him an incredulous look. "Are you serious? First off: Emma is my daughter. My only daughter. I would rather let myself be kidnapped by Grindelwald again, than abandon her to her fate, just because you said so. Secondly: you're turning into wood, because you broke your promise, not because I refused to be my father." Percival said, glaring right back at him.

He would not let this man blame him for something that was his own fault. "You promised to take care of Emma, but you abandoned her at the first chance that you got. Then, when she has a family and is finally happy, you come waltzing back in and demand that I listen to you and abandon her like I was abandoned. I'm pretty sure that if we had abandoned Emma, the curse never would be broken at all." He said. 

August took a deep breath and Percival smirked at him. "Emma will break the curse, but she won't need your help for that. Not that I'm sure if you could help, considering your current state." He said, looking at the man's leg again. He gave the man another smirk. "I will say this one more time: stay away from my family." He said, before turning to leave. He stopped at the door, when he heard August say something behind him. 

"I didn't know that you still cared about your old man." August taunted, pushing his luck. Percival just turned his head slightly. "I never truly stopped. At least, when the curse is broken, I can talk with my father without feeling shame about breaking a promise. Can you say the same?" He asked, before leaving the stunned man in the room, hoping that he had learned his lesson.

_Half an hour later._

Newt P. O. V

I walked into my case to start feeding my creatures, Percival watching over Matthew and Credence having gone to get dinner. The minute I walked out of the shed, however, my arm was grabbed by a worried Dougal. Even though I only keep my creatures for a short while, Dougal had refused to leave when he could. I looked down at him in concern. "What is it, Dougal?" I asked. Dougal didn't say anything, but pulled me towards a field that was close to the mooncalf enclosure. 

Arriving there. I saw all the calves huddled around something. Some of my other creatures were there as well, like the niffler. One of the mooncalves noticed me and quickly got out of the way, the rest following his example. It was then, that I heard the sound of someone crying. Recognising the sound, I quickly ran to the spot that the mooncalves had hidden before. The picture in front of me broke my heart. 

Emma was sitting on the ground, her arms around her knees and her face hidden in the gap. Her shoulders were shaking and I heard her soft sobs. I quickly sat down next to her and wrapped my arms tightly around her. She stopped crying for a moment in surprise, but then I felt her arms wrap around me and her head resting against my shoulder, holding me just as tightly.

I softly stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head, trying to calm her down. She buried her face into my chest, her sobs slowly dying out. Once the sobs had finally stopped, I gave her another kiss on her temple. "Do you feel better now, little one?" I said, even though she wasn't that small anymore. Emma nodded, taking a deep breath and pulling her head back slightly. 

"A bit." She whispered, before sighing. "I just feel so conflicted. I know that I'm supposed to break the curse, but I'm afraid of what will happen after that. Will Mary Margaret and David like me? What if they try to separate us? I don't want to lose you." She whispered, her breathing quickening once again. I quickly pulled her back against my chest, holding her tightly and stroking her hair again. 

"Ssshhh, sweetheart. You will not lose us. Your biological parents love you. I just know it. Although, if they try to separate us, I'm sure that Percival will show them exactly whose son he is. Just like he has done with Jefferson." I reassured her. She smiled softly at that. Jefferson, the mad hatter from Alice in Wonderland, had kidnapped Mary Margaret and Emma, a few days ago. He had tried to force her to make a magic hat to get him out of here. 

Little did he know that Dougal had hitched a ride with them and because I had a small tracking spell on all of my creatures, Percival and I immediately knew where she was. The man really had not made a good first impression on us, as we had apparated in, just as he was pointing a gun at Emma. The memory of that still made me tighten my grip on my daughter in fear and worry.

Emma sensed where my thoughts had gone and kissed my cheek. "I'm fine, papa. I'm here and I'm fine. Although, I can't say the same about Jefferson." She said. I smiled at that. Seeing the gun pointed at our daughter's head, had made my and Percival's parental instincts go haywire. We had shot stunning spells so powerful, that they had knocked him into the opposite wall. 

Emma smiled at the memory, once again guessing where my mind was. "I honestly thought that dad was gonna rip his arm off." She said. I chuckled. "He would have to get a metal arm then." I said, making her laugh. I smiled and kissed the top of her head again. "We will be fine, sweetheart. We got through the situation with Grindelwald, so we can get through this." I reassured her. She took a deep breath and nodded.

I pulled back and stood back up, gently pulling her with me. "Come on. You can help me with the feeding round." I said, giving her the bucket with food for the mooncalves. She smiled at that, not having been able to help in a while, having been busy with Kathryn's disappearance. Seeing my strong daughter stand in front of me, I couldn't help, but say one more thing to her.

"Just don't ride Susie." She groaned at that. "One time. I ride the Nundu one time and you never let me forget it." She whined. I laughed and wrapped an arm around her, holding her against my side playfully. "Well, you did almost give your father a heart attack that day." I said, making her smile. I gave her one more kiss on the head, before letting go and walking towards the right animal.

After feeding the creatures, it was time for dinner. I smiled at seeing my husband and children talk with each other. Emma was a lot more relaxed and also smiled more. I felt Percival squeeze my hands under the table and I squeezed back. I had a feeling that things were about to get strange and hectic really soon, so it was nice to have this sense of peace for now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you that I would update soon. I realised that the first two chapters were quite focused on Percival, so I gave Newt some time with Emma as well.
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.
> 
> P. S. Did anyone notice the two Marvel references? Also RIP Stan Lee.


	4. Curses and dragons and kisses (oh my)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percival, and Henry have eaten the poison apple turnover and now it's a race against time to save them

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Au of the season 1 finale, although this one was pretty hard for me to do for some reason.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Emma, Newt, Credence and Matthew ran alongside the stretcher that Percival was lying on, Henry on another one behind him and both unresponsive. They had been planning to leave Storybrooke for a few days in order to come up with a plan to break the curse. Regina had thought that they were leaving for good and had given Emma an apple turnover, that was secretly made from the infamous poisoned apple.

Not trusting it, Emma had taken it with her to destroy it later. However, the minute that she came back at the bed and breakfast, she immediately had to help with some unruly beasts in her father's case. She had put the turnover on the counter, high enough, so that Matthew couldn't reach it, but she hadn't thought of Percival and Henry, who was visiting and both were big enough to reach it and had taken a bite, thinking that it was from Granny's.

Matthew had come into the room from his nap and had immediately screamed at seeing the unconscious bodies of his father and his friend. Emma, Credence and Newt had run into the room from the case and had panicked. Emma had desperately tried to wake them both up, while Credence called 911 and Newt tried to comfort Matthew. Help had arrived soon enough and had taken the two to the hospital, resulting into their current situation

Emma looked at how the doctors crowded her father and friend, holding a distraught, scared and confused Matthew. Suddenly she saw Regina come in and rage flooded through her body. Handing her little brother over to her big brother, she stormed over towards the mayor and grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the storage closet and throwing her in. "You did this!" She shouted, holding the other woman up against the wall. 

"What the hell are you doing!? Stop this, my son--" Regina started to protest. Emma quickly cut her off. " He is sick because of you! That apple turnover you gave me—he ate it and my father too!" She shouted right in the other woman's face. Regina looked shocked. "What? It was meant for you!" She said. Emma just glared at her. "Why!? Why did you give me that?" She asked. 

"Because as long as you're alive, Henry will never be mine." Regina insisted, sounding hysterical. Emma rolled her eyes. "Henry is not my son!" She shouted, shocking the other woman into silence. "We said that, so that we would have a reason to stay here and break the curse. We didn't know that you would try and give me the poisoned apple like you did my mother." She said, revealing that she knew everything. 

She glared at the other woman. "I don't know who his biological parents are, but he won't be anyone's unless you fix this. You wake them up right now!" She ordered. "I can't!" Regina shouted, finally breaking through her stupor. Emma looked confused. "Don't you have magic?" She asked, feeling desperate. Regina shook her head. "That was the last of it. It was supposed to put you to sleep." She said in an accusing tone. 

Emma glared back at her. "What will happen to them now?" She asked. Regina shrugged. "I don't know. Magic here is unpredictable." She answered. Emma looked at her, showing fear for the first time. "So... so they could..." She said, trailing off at the other woman nodding. She sighed. "We're going to need Rumplestilskin's help for this, aren't we?" She asked, once again surprising Regina with how much she actually knew. The former queen nodded.

Emma gave her one last glare, before walking out of the closet. The doctors had disappeared and her father and Henry were hooked up to several machines, the rest of her family sitting around her father's bed. She walked up to them and looked at her father's sleeping form. "I'm going to fix this. I promise." She vowed, looking at her family. Her other father and big brother nodded. She hugged them all and stroked Percival's hair for a minute, before leaving with Regina.

\-----------------------------

Realms away, a man was glaring at the magical pond, that was close to his camp and showed him what was happening in Storybrooke. He was taking very deep breaths to make sure that he didn't send his minions to kill a certain mayor. ' _That witch needs to pay for what she has done.'_ He thought. He glanced at a brunette woman, who was sitting a few feet away, playing with children. He smirked.  _'And I know just the right person to help me with that.'_ He thought, a plan forming in his head.

\------------------------------

Emma and Regina walked into the shop. Rumple immediately grinned. "Well, it's about time that you came to me. I'm sorry to hear about your father." He said. Emma glared at him. _'Well, you should be, because he's your son.'_ She thought. After a few very long minutes of talking, the two women left the shop with Charming's sword and a mission to find a true love potion.

Walking towards the clock tower, Emma sent a quick text to her brother to tell him where she was going. Arriving at the clock tower, Regina made a wall disappear to reveal an old looking elevator. After telling Emma that she had to go alone, what was down there and what she had to do, the mayor finally let her in the elevator and started to slowly lower her down.

Arriving at the dark cave/basement, Emma carefully looked around. Having been raised by an auror and a magizoologist had thought her to be prepared for anything. She stepped into the dark room and noticed her biological mother's famous glass coffin. Taking a few steps back, she tripped and had to catch herself against the wall, only to feel it move underneath her hands. She slowly turned around and came face-to-face with a real dragon. She raised Charming's sword towards it, trying very hard not to wet herself. 

Newt, Matthew and Credence were sitting around Percival's bed, listening to Mary Margaret reading out of the O _nce Upon a Time_ book to Henry. Matthew had just dozed off to sleep, when all hell broke loose. Machines started to beep frantically and they were all sent out of the room. Newt held onto the crying Matthew in worry, scared about both his daughter and husband. He turned towards Credence, only to see that he had suddenly disappeared.

Emma ducked behind a rock, as the dragon sent another wave of fire in her direction. The heat was almost unbearable and Emma took very deep breaths to fight through it. It seemed hopeless for a few seconds, when she suddenly heard something. A second, familiar roar joined the dragon's, as a black cloud of smoke appeared from a crack in the ceiling and swerved around the dragon's head, distracting the beast.

The dragon reared its head up in an attempt to get rid of the smoke, exposing its chest in the process. Emma immediately took her chance and threw her biological father's sword into its stomach, defeating and destroying the beast. In its remains was the golden egg that Emma had to find, but she looked at the cloud of smoke, as it slowly transformed back into her big brother. 

Credence looked at the remains of the beast in shock. "A dragon?! What were they thinking?!" He half asked, half shouted. Emma simply laughed in relief and hugged her brother. He smiled at her and hugged her back, relieved that she was alright. Pulling back, Emma's eyes widened as she realised something. "Can we both agree that we'll never speak a word of this to dad?' She asked. Credence was silent for a moment, before quickly agreeing. He finally left the same way that he came, telling her that he would wait for her at the hospital.

Emma went back to the elevator and started to go up, only to stop near the exit. She called for Regina and was only partly surprised when she saw her grandfather's face. He told her that Regina had abandoned her and sabotaged the elevator and telling her to give him the potion. Emma growled slightly, knowing that he was lying, but also that she couldn't teleport, always having had trouble with that during her lessons and never fully managing to get it under control. 

Knowing that she had not other choice, she threw the egg up, not surprised when Gold disappeared, leaving her there.  _'He is in so much trouble, if dad ever finds out about this.'_ She thought, as she climbed out of the elevator shaft, seeing Regina tied to a chair. How her limping grandfather had managed to do _that,_  she didn't know, but it wasn't important.

She quickly freed the other woman and was about to run after her traitorous grandfather, when both their phones started to ring from the hospital. They both knew that this was bad news and quickly started to run towards the building. On the way there, Emma could've sworn that she saw something big and black flying overhead, but it wasn't important right now. She had to get to her family. 

\--------------------------

In his shop, Rumple opened the egg and looked at the potion inside. For some reason, he felt slightly bad for tricking Emma and leaving Percival and Henry to their fates, but he had a feeling that they would be alright and he had to do this. He heard the bell in front of the shop and quickly hid the potion and egg in a box, wondering who that could be, considering that the shop was closed. 

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Gold?" A female voice asked from behind him. "Yes, I am, but I'm afraid the shop's closed.." He said, trailing off as he saw who it was: Belle. The woman was dressed in a modest forest-green dress and looked very uncertain and nervous. "I was told to find you and tell you that Regina locked me up. Does that mean anything to you?" She asked. 

The man, who had been taking care of her, Malcolm, had told her that it was time to return to Storybrooke, but that she wouldn't have to see Regina ever again if she didn't want to and that she would be safe. He had given her very specific instructions on what to say and where to go, requesting her not to tell this Mr. Gold anything about him or where she had been in the past few weeks.

When she had asked him why not, Malcolm had simply replied that the other man wouldn't react positively to the news of her having been with him. She had frowned in confusion, but had finally agreed. Her caretaker had finally sent her back here and she had immediately started to look for Mr. Gold, having been told that he would protect her from Regina. 

Rumple couldn't believe his eyes. He slowly walked forwards and touched her shoulder. She was really there. "You're real. You're alive. She did this to you?" He asked, finally realising what Regina had done to his true love. Belle looked at him, even more uncertain. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe she should've gone to find the people, who had rescued her from the hospital.

"I was told that you would protect me." She said. Rumple started to tear up and embrace her. "Oh yes. Yes, I'll protect you." Belle frowned in confusion, pulling back slightly. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?" She asked. Rumple shook his head. "No, but you will." He said confidently. He would protect her against Regina and as soon as he had how magic back, she would pay.

\--------------------------------

At the hospital, the mood was far more sombre. Emma and Regina had arrived to see Newt in tears and holding a crying Matthew. A solemn Credence, Doctor Whale and Mother Superior were standing nearby, telling them that they were too late. Emma could feel her heart shatter as she walked inside the room, seeing her pale, unresponsive father lying on the bed. 

She stood next to the bed and stroked his hair again, before leaning forwards and hovering over his head, unaware of Regina doing the same with Henry. "I love you, daddy/Henry." Both women said at the same time, kissing the cold foreheads of her father in Emma's case and her son in Regina's case. A blast of magic came from the two women and shot through the entire room and through the town.

Emma straightened a bit in confusion, wondering what just happened. Suddenly, both Henry and Percival opened their eyes with loud gasps, breathing deeply in an attempt to get as much air inside their lungs as possible. Emma laughed in relief as she looked into her father's eyes. "I love you too, sweetheart." Percival whispered with a hoarse voice. He was so proud of her

He smiled at his daughter, before Matthew's squeal was heard. "Daddy!" The young boy shouted, stretching his arms towards his father. Percival sat up with Emma's help and took his youngest son into his arms, holding him tightly against him and greeting his tearful husband with a kiss and hugging his eldest son to the best of his abilities. It was only then, that Emma realised that the other people in the room were acting strangely. She suddenly remembered something that she had learned as a child:  _True love's kiss will break any curse._

She looked at her family. "Guys, I think that we just broke the curse." She said. Mother Superior stepped up. "Indeed. That was true love's kiss." She said, before looking at Regina. "If I were you, your Majesty, I would find a place to hide." She advised. Regina said something to Henry, before quickly leaving. Mother Superior or the Blue Fairy looked at Percival and frowned slightly. 

"I'm sorry, but do we know each other?" She asked. Percival shook his head, knowing that without magic, fairies could only spot lies if you told them out loud. Mother Superior frowned again, before leaving it alone. Emma hugged her father again, her brothers and other father following her example, making it one, big, family hug, all of them relieved to be together again.

They sat there for a few seconds, before a nurse gasped and dropped the tray that she was holding. The followed her eyeline to see a big, purple cloud of smoke coming their way. "Mr Graves, what is that? Henry asked, having climbed out of his own bed and standing next to Percival's. The man frowned, tightening his grip on his youngest son with one hand and gripping his husband's hand with the other. "That's something very bad, Henry." He answered, already having a feeling about who was responsible for this. 

_A few minutes earlier._

Rumple walked towards the wishing well, feeling ecstatic. Belle remembered who she was and had told him that she loved him. He finally had her back and now he could start looking for his son, unaware that he was already in the town and had been for at least several weeks. He explained a bit about the well to Belle, before dropping the true love potion in it. A purple cloud slowly started to come out of it, spreading over the ground and towards town. Rumple finally told Belle what he was doing: He was bringing magic back. 

In town, a newly reunited Snow White and Charming looked at the cloud in fear and uncertainty, embracing each other as it engulfed them. Regina smirked as she watched the cloud coming closer, knowing that she would have the upper hand soon. In the hospital, Emma looked at her family, before they embraced each other tightly, pulling Henry into the hug as well. Things were about to change again and they didn't know if it was for the better, but they knew that they would survive anything, as long as they were together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to season 2, everyone! To celebrate this (and because I have zero inspiration for my other stories) I will update this story twice in the next week. How does that sound? :)
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	5. Broken curses and wraiths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The curse is finally broken and nothing will ever be the same.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Once the mysterious cloud had disappeared, the family and Henry all scrambled to investigate what had happened. Newt had to help his husband a tiny bit, as he still felt a bit weak after just waking up. Having changed Henry's and Percival's clothing with magic and walking through the town, they saw all different kinds of reunions taking place: friends, families, lovers. Percival gently grabbed Emma's hand and squeezed it softly, feeling so incredibly proud of her. She smiled back at him and squeezed his hand in return. 

They saw a group up ahead that consisted out of: Mary Margaret, David, Ruby, Granny and seven men, who used to be the seven dwarfs. Percival gently pushed Emma forward in the direction of her biological parents. The young woman took a few steps towards them, before looking back at the family, who had raised her ever since she was a little girl and had supported her through everything.

Percival and Newt were smiling and nodded at her, telling her that it was alright. Credence was smiling as well, happy that his sister was finally reuniting with her biological parents. Something that he would never get. Matthew didn't fully understand what was going on, but he smiled too and gave her a thumbs up. She smiled back, before finally walking towards the group.

"Now, I want to find my daughter." She heard Mary Margaret saying, looking at David. She took another deep breath, before speaking up. "I'm right here." She said, making her biological parents immediately turn towards her. Mary Margaret slowly walked towards her with a small smile on her face. She cupped Emma's face, before hugging her with tears in her eyes. "You found us." She said joyfully, David finally joining the hug. Emma patted their backs a bit awkwardly.

Percival smiled at the sight, even when he felt his heart breaking a bit. His little girl was now truly grown up. It seemed only yesterday that she came to live with them at four years old and now she was twenty eight and had broken a curse. Newt squeezed his hand, having the exact same feeling about the situation. Nothing would ever be the same again for their family.

As if sensing her adoptive parent's moods, Emma pulled back from her biological parents and walked towards them, grabbing their hands and pulling them forwards. "Guys, these are my brothers Credence and Matthew and these are my parents Percival Graves and Newt Scamander. They have been taking care of me for as long as I can remember." She said, keeping a tight hold of Newt's hand and resting her head on Percival's shoulder.

Mary Margaret and David both smiled at them. They were happy and thankful that their daughter had been raised in a loving home. A small part of Mary Margaret wanted to keep Emma to herself, now that she had her daughter back, but the bigger part of her knew that the two men deserved to spend time with her as well. Emma was just as much their daughter as she was hers and David's.

One of the dwarves spoke up. "But they are both men." He said, immediately cowering back at Emma's cold look. "Yes, they are. Do you have a problem with that?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. She would not let anyone talk crap about her family. The dwarf immediately shook his head and backed off. Emma nodded at that, before turning back towards the others. 

Mary Margaret and David were a bit surprised, but they knew that they wouldn't want anyone talk bad about their parents either. Mary Margaret looked around. "What was that cloud?" She asked. Emma grumbled a bit. "Probably the true love potion that.... Gold stole from me, while Henry and dad were in danger." She said, barely stopping herself from calling the dark wizard her grandfather.

David winced a bit at her calling another man her father, even though he knew that it was very understandable. Percival and Newt had been there for her, while he couldn't be. It only made sense for her to call them dad and... papa, if he remembered correctly. The blue fairy joined them and confirmed what Emma had said. Magic was in Storybrooke. Emma shared a look with her adoptive family, almost all of them wondering what their father/ father-in-law/ grandfather was planning.

\---------------------------------------

Rumple looked at Belle. "My darling Belle. You have to tell me what happened to you." His anger at Regina grew as he listened to Belle telling him how she was abducted. He frowned slightly, as a thought came up in him. "Who got you out of there?" He asked. Belle hesitated for a second, remembering her promise to Malcolm about not telling Rumple about him. 

"A young man named Credence did. He got me out and sent me to find you." She said, only partly lying. Rumple nodded, feeling grateful to the young man for helping his true love, even though Percival was sick and dying. Something about that thought made him even angrier at Regina, some kind of instinct inside his body telling him to seek revenge against her.

Apparently, his thoughts were visible on his face, because Belle started to beg him to spare Regina. He promised that he wouldn't and embraced her, secretly already planning to find a way to make her pay. She hurt his true love. There was no way that he was going to let that go. He was not going to let her get away with that. He smirked as a plan came up in his brain. Realms away, another man was smirking in the exact same way, as he watched the proceedings In Storybrooke. 

\----------------------------------------

Walking through Storybrooke, Emma was starting to get a little bit irritated. Mary Margaret hadn't shut up, ever since they heard been reunited. She was constantly asking questions about her and her life before coming to Storybrooke, wanting to know everything. Emma also wanted to get to know her mother. She really did, but not now everything was in chaos.

Mary Margaret spoke up again. "Is there anything that you wanted to ask us? I mean, you must have questions." She said, Emma shook her head, marching onwards. "The only questions I have are for Mr. Gold. Why did he double-cross me, and what did he do to this town?" She replied, focusing on the pawnshop ahead. Her grandfather had a lot to answer to. 

"Uh... Shouldn't we talk about "it" first?" Mary Margaret asked and Emma almost growled in frustration. "About what?" She almost snapped. Only the thought that her little brother was there kept her from fully snapping. "You. Us. Your life. Everything?" Mary Margaret offered. Emma sighed. "Can we do "everything" maybe later? Like, with a glass of wine. Or several bottles." She suggested, making her fathers laugh softly. 

"I know it's a lot to take in. For all of us." David started to say, before Mary Margaret took over. "And we don't want to push, but we've waited for this moment for so long.." Emma cut her off. "So have I. Look, I want to talk to you, I really do, but we have more important things to worry about right now. Let's solve them first and talk later, alright?" She asked, just as they saw a group of angry people up ahead and Archie came running towards them, telling them that they were headed for Regina's house. Henry immediately pleaded with them to save her, because she was still his mother.

They all agreed and ran after the mob. They reached the house, just as Doctor. Whale held the mayor against the wall by her throat. David put himself between the two of them. "That's enough, Whale." He said. Whale simply replied that David was not his prince, confusing the other man. "Who are you?" David asked, looking him up and down. "That's my business." Whale replied. 

Percival smirked at that. Whale had tried to seduce Emma, calling her several mean names, when she had refused and now it was time for payback. "Oh, quit the attitude, Frankenstein." He called, making Whale stiffen in surprise and David grin at him in thanks. Whale glared at him. "How do you know my name?" He asked. Percival simply smirked. "That's my business." He said, before turning back to the situation at hand, making Newt smile at him. 

The crowd was still shouting for Regina's head, not letting Emma or Mary Margaret get a word in. Percival rolled his eyes. "Well, they already know about magic anyway." He muttered to himself, before grabbing his wand and shooting a firecracker into the air, making everyone jump in surprise and look at him in shock. They never would have thought him to be a wizard.

"If everyone could please act like normal human beings and listen to your sheriff, prince and princess, instead of acting like a pack of idiotic animals, that would be great." He said, now that he had everyone's attention. He turned towards Emma and Mary Margaret and could clearly see who was the most surprised. Emma smiled at him in thanks but Mary Margaret's jaw was practically on the floor. 

A few minutes later, they were putting Regina in a cell at the station. David and Mary Margaret were clearly still wrapping their heads around the fact that Percival was a wizard. "I thought that this was the land _without_ magic." David said. Percival shrugged. "There is magic, but not as much as in other realms and only a certain group of people have it." He said, carrying a dozing Matthew on his hip. 

Regina scoffed. "So all this trouble was for nothing." She snarked. Percival glared at her and stepped slightly closer to the cell, tightly holding onto his son. "Don't you dare start, _Your Majesty_ , because you put my children in danger. That turnover that you made was for my daughter. If Henry hadn't asked us to spare you, I might as well have been part of that mob or let you meet some of Newt's creatures." He said lowly, his eyes glowing with parental anger.

Regina took a small step back, but tried to act though. "Oh really? And where are those creatures?" She asked sarcastically. As if on cue, the nundu roared from the inside of Newt's case, making David, Mary Margaret, Ruby and Regina stare at it in shock, seeing it in a completely different light. Henry didn't help matters either. "You should see the inside. It's amazing." He gushed, making Newt blush a bit and look down to the ground, even as Emma gave him a playful shove.

They decided to try and find Rumple, leaving Regina in the cell. Percival stopped walking for a second, sensing something that felt almost familiar, before quickly following his family.  Little did he know that his father had teleported into the station to give Regina what she deserved in his opinion. He pushed the magical amulet in her hand, knowing that it would summon a wraith and it would give her a fate worse than death. 

Credence offered to watch Henry and Matthew, as well as Newt's case, Ruby immediately volunteering to help him. Percival and Newt shared a look, before agreeing. They gave their sleeping son one last kiss on the top of his head, before handing him and the case to Credence. The two young adults got into the car with the two boys and drove off. Percival noticed how Mary Margaret looked like she was about to burst.

He gave David a pointed look and the other man understood it immediately. "Don't push it, Snow." He said softly. Mary Margaret muttered something, just as Emma rejoined them. "Are you ready to go?" She asked, before Mary Margaret spoke up. "We need to talk." She said, making all three men, even Newt, roll their eyes at her. Emma looked hesitantly between her adoptive parents and her biological parents. 

"I- Well, I don't... I just- I don't wanna talk." She said, really not wanting to do this right now. Mary Margaret kept her ground. "But I do, okay? Gold can wait. I can't. You're my daughter. And I wanna talk to you. I know that we have talked. But we didn't know that we were talking. And we talked about things we probably shouldn't have even talked about. One-night stands and the like." She muttered, surprising the men around her. 

"One-night stands?" David asked. "Whale." His wife replied, as if it didn't matter. "Frankenstein?! He tried to flirt with our daughter." Percival said with a raised eyebrow, making the other couple look at him in shock. "He did what?!" They shouted at the same time. Percival shrugged in answer. Seeing that the subject had changed, Emma quickly started to walk to the pawnshop. 

Mary Margaret looked at Percival in a silent plea for help. "How do I get her to talk to me?" She asked softly, feeling a bit desperate. Percival smiled in slight pity. "Do not push her. I understand that you've been waiting a very long time for this moment, but forcing her to talk will only push her away. Trust me, she will open up to you eventually. You just need to give her time to get used to the fact that she has two sets of parents now. Right now, she feels more comfortable with me and Newt, but give her some time and she will be more comfortable around you too" He advised.

Mary Margaret sighed, but nodded. A few meters in front of them, Newt walked next to Emma. He looked back and saw Mary Margaret's dejected face. He turned back to Emma. "You do realise that you can't avoid them forever." He asked softly, wrapping an arm around his daughter's shoulders. Emma nodded in answer and automatically leaned into his touch.

"I know. I just really need time to wrap my head around suddenly having so many family members. It was just the five of us for so long." She muttered. Newt smiled at his daughter and kissed the top of her head. "I love you sweetheart. Never forget that" He whispered. Emma smiled at that. "I love you too, papa." She said, just as they arrived at Gold's shop.

Turned out that asking Rumple about what he had done was a complete waste of time. The man was as unhelpful as ever. Emma finally had enough. First, he almost let his own son die and now he had done something else. "Maybe, I don't need answers. Maybe, I just need to punch you in the face." She said without a single bit of regret, even though her father was standing right there. Her comment made her grandfather laugh sarcastically and unimpressed. "Really, dearie?" He asked, making Percival stiffen slightly. Merlin, did he hate that word

Percival narrowed his eyes. His father had done something. Something bad, but he didn't know what. His question was answered, when the earth shook and an inhuman wail was heard. "What the hell was that?" Emma asked. Percival grabbed his wand. "That sounded like a wraith." He muttered. Seeing Emma's confused look, he tried to explain. "Like a dementor, but then slightly different." Emma's eyes widened in fear. 

With one last glare, they all left the shop. Just before he went outside, Percival saw a familiar silhouette behind the curtain set the back of the shop. He sighed, realising what had happened. Walking next fo Emma, he leaned towards her. "I really need to talk to your uncle Malcolm later. He let Belle come back." He muttered. Emma gave him a surprised look, but it wasn't important right now 

After saving Regina from the wraith in the station, they made a plan to send it back to the enchanted forest through Jefferson's hat. Only, when it was time to put the plan in action, everything went wrong. Regina couldn't get the hat to work and the wraith was already in the room, throwing both Newt and David against the wall, knocking the former out cold. 

In a desperate attempt to help, Emma and Percival both touched Regina's arm and suddenly, the hat started to work, just as the wraith flew towards Regina. Emma pushed her out of the way, making the wraith fly into the portal. However, it latched on to Emma, pulling her in with it. Percival's eyes widened in horror and he jumped after her, not even thinking of the consequences. Mary Margaret followed too and David tried, but the portal closed, before he could. 

Newt had woken up, just as the wraith dived for Regina. He could only watch as his husband and daughter disappeared from view. Once the portal closed, David demanded that Regina told him where they went. Regina used her suddenly awake magic to throw him against the nearest wall, strangling him, until the sound of Henry's voice stopped her, the boy walking in with Credence, Matthew and Ruby. 

Credence and Matthew immediately walked over to Newt. "Papa, where are Emma and daddy?" Matthew asked. Newt bit his lip, trying to find a way fo tell his young son that his other father and sister were in a different realm and might never come back. "They have gone to the Enchanted Forest for a little adventure, just the two of them, but they will return soon. I promise." He said, lifting him up into his arms to reassure himself that one part of his family was still safe. 

Credence hugged his father and brother tightly. It was all he could do to prevent himself from turning into his Obscurus form and attacking Regina. Henry talked with her for a few seconds, before he and David walked out. Newt gave the woman one last look, before following, even though he wanted to hex her into oblivion, but his family, or rather: the part that was left, were more important. 

Outside, David was taking very deep breaths as well. He turned towards Newt. "Are you sure that the forest is still there?" He asked. Newt nodded, holding onto both his sons tightly. "Percival knows someone, who can travel between realms. It's still there, but it's not the Enchanted Forest that you remember." He said, not expanding on the subject with Matthew in his arms. 

David nodded at that, before getting an idea. "That person that Percival knows...." He trailed off, as Newt already shook his head. "He can only travel by himself, or with a small child at maximum. He's the person, who gave us our children." He said, looking at his two sons, before looking back at the prince. "We'll find a way David. I'm sure of it." He said, before nodding at him and walking down the sidewalks with the small part of his family that he still had, hoping that his words would come true. 

\--------------------------------

In the Enchanted Forest , Percival slowly opened his eyes. He saw Emma and Mary Margaret lying next to him. He slowly turned his head, only to be met with the sharp point of a sword. He looked up at the angry owner of the sword and simply thought one thing: ' _we're screwed_.' In another realm, a man was beating his head repeatedly against a tree, much to the concern of the children around him. His plan had completely been ruined and now his grandson was in danger. But he would find a way to bring him and the women home. After all: Peter Pan never fails.

~~Except this one time~~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, this was a long one and I'm still not sure about it. What do you guys think? 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	6. Beauty and the fantastic beasts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Belle spends a day with Newt, Matthew and Credence and learns a bit of backstory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Au of "the crocodile"

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Belle walked towards the library underneath the clock tower, peeking in through the holes in the wooden boards that covered the windows. She and Rumple had a fight, after she had found out that he used magic behind her back. She had left the house and found her way to the diner. The waitress, Ruby, had directed her to the library after Belle had said that she loved books and Belle had followed her directions.

She jumped as she heard someone speak up next to her. A man with a red hat asked her if she had any spare money to give him. She replied in the negative, before the man asked if she was meeting anyone. She was about to tell him that she wasn't, when she heard her name being called. She tensed up, thinking that it was Rumple, only to see that it was just Credence.

"Hey, Belle. I didn't know that you were here." Credence said with a smile. Belle smiled at the man, who had saved her. "Oh, I have been with Mr. Gold for the past few days." She said. Credence nodded at that, before finally looking over at the other man. "I'm sorry, can we help you?" He asked in a seemingly polite tone, but his eyes were warning the man to back off. 

He knew who this man was: William Smee, the right-hand man of Kilian Jones, AKA Captain Hook. His father had warned him about the two men, knowing that they meant no good and that Hook was on a lifelong quest to kill Rumple. Seeing the look in Credence's eyes, made Smee walk backwards immediately. "No, I can help myself. Thank you." He said, before quickly leaving.

Credence turned back towards Belle. "Perhaps, we can speak somewhere more private." He offered. Belle nodded at that. "Yes, but I do not want Rumple to find me. We're having a situation." She said with a bit of difficulty, hesitant to reveal more than that. Credence noticed and didn't say anything, silently thinking about it for a minute, before snapping his fingers and smiling. "I know just the right place." He said, making Belle look at him in curiosity. 

_A few minutes later_

"Wow." Belle breathed, as she saw the inside of Newt's case for the first time. Credence smiled at her reaction. "No matter how many times I come here, it always takes my breath away too." He said, patting Dougal's head, the demiguise having come to see and meet their visitor. Belle smiled and carefully crouched down, until she was at eye-level with the creature.

"This is Dougal. Our demiguise." Credence said. Belle carefully reached out her hand and Dougal grabbed it. "Nice to meet you." She said, gently shaking the creature's hand. Dougal smiled at her, before wandering off. Credence smiled, before starting to show her around. "Credence, how long have you been with your family?" Belle asked, seeing how the man looked older than her.

Credence thought for a minute. "At the very least 25 years." He answered. Belle gave him a surprised look. "Normally, children have already left their parents at your age. Don't you want to see the world?" She asked. Credence smirked a bit at her question. "I actually do see the world. Sometimes, I travel along with papa to rescue new creatures, but apart from that, I stay where I'm safe and comfortable, which is with my parents. The world has no place for people like me." He said a bit self-deprecating. Belle gave him a confused look and he sighed, lifting his arm up and turning it into smoke.

"I was abused as a child. That experience made me suppress my magic, making it unstable and dangerous. People like me are called Obscurials and usually don't survive past the age of ten, but somehow, I managed to survive. You see, Belle: I have magic, which means that I can't live in the non-magical world, but I can't use it properly, like normal wizards can. Trust me, the safest place for me right now, is with my family. Maybe, one day, I'll travel on my own, but not now." He said. They continued the tour, before finally arriving at the mooncalves enclosure, where Newt was working, with Matthew taking a nap in a floating hammock.

The older man looked up and smiled at them. "Hello Belle. It's good to see you again." He said, holding out his left hand, which was more clean. Belle shook it with a smile. "Hello, Mr. Scamander." She greeted. Newt told her to call him his given name and she happily agreed, before looking at the mooncalves. "Oh my God. They're adorable!" She cooed, carefully reaching out and stroking one of the calves. The calves made happy noises and came closer, eager to meet their new friend. 

Belle smiled and pretty much looked like she was in heaven. Newt smiled and grabbed the bucket with the food for the calves. "Here, grab a handful of pellets and throw them into the air." He said, handing the bucket to the young woman. Belle gave him a funny look, before following his directions. The mooncalves immediately jumped up and down, trying to devour as many of the floating pellets as they could. 

Seeing how the mooncalves were busy eating, Newt walked towards the hammock and woke his son up. Matthew stirred and opened his eyes. "Papa, are daddy and Emma back?" He asked in a sleepy voice. Feeling his heart break slightly, Newt shook his head. "I'm afraid not, but we do have a visitor." He said, lifting up into his arms. Matthew looked up and smiled at the woman. 

"Hi, miss Belle." He greeted, holding onto his father. Belle smiled at the young boy. "Hello sweetie. Did you have a nice nap?" She asked. Matthew nodded shyly, before yawning again. Newt gave him a kiss on the top of his head, before handing him to Credence. "Put him in a proper bed and watch him please, before he wakes up and decides to wander around." He told his oldest son. Credence nodded, before leaving with a half-asleep Matthew. 

Left alone, Belle looked a bit awkwardly at Newt's back, who had gone back to work. "I heard about Percival and Emma." She said, making the man smile dryly. "Yes and so has the rest of the town at this point." He said, before resuming his work. Belle stepped a bit closer. "I'm really sorry. It must be hard being so far away from the people that you love." She said softly.

Newt sighed deeply, looking away Belle with pain in his eyes. "I travel quite a lot. It comes with my work and I always miss my family, but I comfort myself with the knowledge that I will see them again. Granted, that certainty was almost thrown out of the window, when Gellert Grindelwald kidnapped Percival, but we survived that ordeal too. But never, in almost thirty years of marriage, have we been so far away from each other. Not to mention that my only daughter is gone too" He said, sinking down to sit on a rock, despondent. 

Belle sat down next to him, squeezing his shoulder. "At the very least, they have each other and Mary Margaret." She tried to comfort him. Newt nodded slightly at that, before looking at her. "What are you even doing here? I thought you were still in Neverland." He said in confusion, his husband never having had the chance to tell him that she was in Storybrooke. 

Belle sighed, before telling him everything. From Malcolm sending her back to her argument with Rumple. "I just don't understand why he keeps lying to me and hiding things from me." She said, once she was finished.Newt sighed deeply. "I may not know him as well as Percival does, but I know that he's been hurt and betrayed multiple times. After those betrayals, lying and keeping secrets is probably easier for him. You can't get hurt, if you do not let people get close to you. Percival was the same way with me for a while, but I managed to break through his shell after a lot of patience and stubbornness." He said, making Belle chuckle. 

"You know, he did give me a library once in the Enchanted Forest. He pretended it was for me to clean, but I know better." The woman said with a laugh. Newt looked at her in surprise. "He did? Merlin, Percival needs to catch up." He muttered, making Belle laugh harder. In the hotel room, Credence opened the door to Belle's father, who had come to look for her, after Smee had told him what had happened. Not trusting the man, Credence sent him on his way with a lie that Belle was somewhere else, taking a relieved breath, after he had closed the door. 

In the case, Belle looked at Newt. "Who is Gellert Grindelwald?" She asked, having heard him mention the name earlier. She immediately regretted asking the question, seeing the kind man flinch. Newt took a deep breath. "He is a dark wizard. Twenty years ago, he kidnapped and tortured my husband for information. He used magic to disguise himself as Percival and almost no one noticed anything." He said, still a bit bitter about the last part. 

"Luckily, Credence did notice that something was wrong and warned me. I was in Asia at the moment, but I returned home immediately and exposed Grindelwald. We found Percival soon after that. He was so close to death that it took him almost a year to fully recover. Physically, that is. Mentally took far longer then that." Newt said, his hands curling into fists.

Belle winced at that. "I'm sorry." She said sincerely. Newt shrugged. "You didn't know." Was all that he said, stroking one of the mooncalves. There was silence for a few minutes, before Belle spoke up again. "What happened to this Grindelwald man?" She asked. Newt took a deep breath. "He escaped custody after a few months and spread terror across Europe, but about a decade ago, he suddenly vanished. It was like he had never existed." He said, making Belle frown, just as Credence joined them again. 

"Papa, we have a problem. Gold, David and Ruby are here, looking for Belle. Ruby had smelt her all the way to here." The younger man said, not wanting to reveal his connection to Rumple yet. Both of them immediately looked at her, wanting to know what she wanted. Touched at the men asking her opinion, Belle thought for a moment. "Let them in. I will talk to Rumple." She said. Credence nodded, before leaving to get the guests.

Rumple had to teleport into the case and they had woken Matthew up, but the boy luckily wasn't cranky. Seeing how even the Dark One was impressed by the case made Credence smile proudly, as he held his younger brother's hand. "Henry was right. This really is amazing." David said, trying to take everything in at once. Credence smiled, before his eyes widened and he ran forwards, grabbing the niffler, before it could steal his grandfather's ring. 

Rumple raised an eyebrow. "What is that?" He asked, Ruby and David also staring at the small creature. Credence grinned wryly. "This is a niffler. Always tries to steal everything that shines. An absolute pest at the best of times." He said, putting the niffler back in its nest and ordering it to stay there. The niffler pouted at him, before finally obeying and sitting back down.

It was only then that the group noticed Belle approaching with Newt. Rumple immediately walked towards her and looked her over, trying to see if she was injured. Newt quickly joined his sons, leaving them alone to talk. The troubled couple spoke quietly for a few minutes, before seemingly coming to an agreement. They walked back to the group and Belle looked at Credence and Newt.

"Thank you for helping me. Rumple promised that he will try to do better and I'm going to give him another chance." She said. The men smiled and nodded. The group finally left after seeing goodbyes and thank yous. There was silence for a few minutes. "Dad would've been proud." Credence spoke up, smiling at his other father. Newt smiled back, before taking the hands of both his sons and walking further into the case. There was always so much to do, especially when there were two people missing. But hopefully, Percival and Emma would find their way back home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Filler, I know. This idea just wouldn't let go of me. 
> 
> Also, yeah. I messed with some of the ages if the FB characters in this story, making them older, than they were in the movie.  
> That is because in this story, the plot of the first Fantastic Beasts movie took place twenty years before Emma broke the curse. 
> 
> Percival looks like he's in his fifties, but is at least 250 years old. Newt actually is in his fifties, but considering that he's a wizard, that's not much of a problem. Credence is around 37 years old and Emma is 28 (duh). 
> 
> Percival/Bealfire arrived on earth on 31 May 1976 (guess whose birthday that is :)) having the physical age of a fourteen year old. He and Newt met in 1980, married in 1982, adopted 11-year Credence in 1984 and 4-year old Emma in 1987. The plot of the first Fantastic Beasts movie took place in 1990. Hope that clears some things up and if not, just ask, also notify me if I made a mistake. I'm writing this pretty late at night. 
> 
> Next week, we'll find out what's going on in the Enchanted Forest 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	7. Disenchanted forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percival, Emma and Mary Margaret try to find their way home and come across allies and enemies. Percival comes across a familiar place

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Au of the last part of "We are both" and the first part of "The lady of the lake"

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise. 

_"We are both."_

Percival gave Emma a concerned look as they were pulled along after the horses that Mulan and Aurora were riding on. They had been taken prisoner and everything that was looked like a weapon was taken away. This included Percival's wand and Emma's gun. Emma smiled slightly at her father, reassuring him that she was alright, or as alright as she could be in the situation. 

They were led to a camp and were released from the horses, although their hands were still bound. Unconsciously, both Mary Margaret and Percival walked on either side of Emma, trying to keep her as safe as possible. "Are they refugees?" Emma asked softly, trying not to grin at their unconscious, protective behaviour. "We're survivors." Mulan snapped, tying the horses to a pole. 

Emma felt a soft pressure in her head, followed by her father's voice. ' _Mary Margaret is going to try and run. Don't follow her. It will just make us more suspicious.'_   Even though he didn't have his wand, he could still mentally talk to her through the magic bracelet that they wore on their arms. She nodded subtly at his words. Just as her father had said, Mary Margaret kicked Aurora and tried to run away. "Emma, run!" She shouted, not noticing that her daughter stayed right where she was. 

Mulan knocked the fleeing woman out with a slingshot, before turning towards her other two prisoners. "Why didn't you run?" She asked incredulously. Percival shrugged slightly. "I was the captain of a special guard force, several years ago. I know a failed plan, when I see one." He replied. Mulan raised an eyebrow, before ordering the others to put them in the pit, which turned out to be a cell underground. 

They pushed Percival and Emma into the cell and threw Mary Margaret's unconscious body inside, much to the blonde woman's distress. Emma kneeled next to her friend/biological mother as best as she could with bound hands. "Dad, please help her." She begged. Percival kneeled next to her and was about to use magic, when he heard a voice that made his blood freeze in fear. 

"Do you need any help?" A woman's voice asked. Both father and daughter looked up and saw a silhouette from a woman a bit further in the cell. "Who are you?" Emma asked, having noticed her father flinch at the woman's voice and knowing that it couldn't mean anything good. The woman stepped forward into the light. "I'm a friend. My name is Cora." She said and Emma's widened slightly. She had heard of the Queen of Hearts and now she was sharing a cell with her. She subtly leaned closer to her father, knowing that they had to be very careful from now on. 

_"Lady of the lake."_

Cora had freed them of their cuffs and had started to make small talk with them, trying to look as nice and unintimidating as possible. Emma and Percival did the same thing, playing dumb for as long as they could. After a while, Cora started to ask how they got back, just as Mary Margaret woke back up, immediately going to stand in front of Emma. Cora pretended to be concerned and that she had learned from her mistakes. 

"Let's hear her out." Emma whispered, still pretending to trust the older woman. Mary Margaret immediately scolded her for the idea. "Look, Credence is in Storybrooke and she might know a way back." She said, dangling some bait in front of Cora and the woman took it. "Who's Credence?" She asked innocently. "My brother. He's probably very concerned about us at the moment." Emma replied off-handedly, making sure to sound as casual as possible. Mary Margaret scolded her even more for it. 

Just then, someone came to get the three of them, saying that the leader wanted to speak with them. While walking towards the leader's hut, Mary Margaret whirled on Emma. " Why can't you just listen to me?" She asked, making Emma look at her. She knew that her mother was terrible at keeping secrets and that Cora was still close, so she kept up the act. "Why couldn't you have trusted me? I was just trying to find a way to get us home. I could've handled her." She said, sounding so genuinely irritated that even Percival almost fell for it, if he hadn't known his daughter. 

Mary Margaret gave the blonde woman an incredulous look. "Cora? Don't be so sure. I've lived here, Emma. I know this world and its dangers." She said, before turning to Percival. "You said that you were a police officer. Why didn't you do anything?" She asked, having noticed the man standing at the sidelines, simply watching the proceedings in front of him. 

Percival shrugged, knowing what his daughter was doing. "On earth, there's a saying: innocent, until proven guilty. You say that she is evil, but she hasn't shown anything of that yet. Besides, maybe she has changed. My grandfather was an evil bastard as well, but he cleaned himself up when I was a teenager." He said. Mary Margaret just scoffed at that, before her attention was pulled by something else. 

A black soldier walked out of his hut. It was Lancelot, one of the knights of the round table and apparently an old friend of Mary Margaret, who immediately ran to hug him. "Lancelot? Really?" Emma asked. Mary Margaret chuckled. "He's an old friend." She replied. Percival shared a look with Emma and subtly shook his head, indicating that they couldn't trust Lancelot. Something about the man rubbed him in the wrong way. Emma nodded slightly in understanding. 

They were led to a table, where some strange meat was lying, ready to be eaten. "What the hell is this?" Emma muttered, sharing a look with her father, who shrugged in answer, for once having no idea what it was. Lancelot explained that it was Chimera. With a strange look, the three of them began to eat. It tasted strange, but not disgusting. During eating, Lancelot explained how a small part of the Enchanted Forest had been spared by the curse through means unknown and that ogres were running wild through the rest of the realm.

Percival swallowed at that, remembering the horror stories of when he was small. He had never said it, but he was glad that his father had saved him from the war, even if it was against a very terrible price. Mary Margaret told them that she might have a way to go back home, but didn't say what it was in fear of Cora still being close to them and not wanting to risk it.

Percival saw the corner of the soldier's mouth curl upwards at that for just a moment, before his face was calm again. He swallowed, remembering when he saw the memories of when he had been impersonated and how his captor had almost smiled as well, whenever his own name was mentioned. It was kind of like that they wanted to laugh at how idiotic the people around them were

Percival looked down at the table and tried to keep his face, breathing and heartbeat calm. Lancelot was Cora in disguise. He wasn't sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion. He would have to keep a close eye on things. While he had been thinking, Mary Margaret had agreed to let Mulan go with them to find the portal home, without even asking his or Emma's opinion about it. 

A few minutes later, they had armed themselves with weapons, with Emma and Percival finally getting their gun and wand back and were on their way through a ravaged Enchanted forest. On the way, Percival noticed how Mary Margaret was nervous to start a true conversation with Emma. He gently pushed his daughter to walk next to her, staying at the back of the group. His magic sensed someone following them at the end of the day and rolled his eyes, calling for a short stop.

"Come on out, princess. I know that you're there." He called out softly, not wanting to alert any ogres. After a few seconds, Aurora stepped out of the bushes with a dagger in her hands. Mary Margaret immediately stepped in front of Emma, despite the blonde woman having magic. Aurora glared at the visitors. "Philip is dead, because of you." She hissed. Percival rolled his eyes. "He's dead, because of the Dark One and the Evil Queen. It's their fault that the wraith got here. We just got caught in the crossfire." He commented, his companions nodding in agreement. 

Aurora just looked at them in disbelief, but Mulan finally managed to convince her to let the dagger go. They continued on their way, with Aurora staying as far away from the three "visitors" as possible. They arrived at the ruins of an old peasant village. Only one of the houses still looked in good shape. Mulan tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "It's no use. It doesn't open." She said. 

Percival narrowed his eyes slightly. The cottage looked vaguely familiar, but it couldn't be.... He walked towards it and tried to get inside. The door glowed for just a second, before opening without a problem. It was. This was his old home, before his father let him fall into the portal. All the women looked at him in shock. "How did you do that?" Aurora asked. Percival simply shrugged. They already distrusted him and his companions. It was better if he didn't tell them that the only way to open the door was sharing DNA with the Dark One.

They all went inside and Mulan quickly managed to get a fire going. The women looked around the decently sized cottage. "This was probably the home of one of the more rich farmers around here." Mary Margaret muttered. Mulan shook her head. "If it was, it would have been demolished as well. Didn't you see the door glow? This was the home of a sorcerer." She said. Emma looked at her father, slowly starting to realise where she was. 

Percival had told her about his and his father's humble background. That they had been farmers, before her grandfather had become the Dark One. Percival slightly nodded at her, confirming her thoughts. She sighed deeply. The other three women were still looking around, but found nothing of importance. Emma found a drawing of a little boy and showed it to her father.

Percival smiled a tiny bit at the drawing. Things had been a lot simpler at that age. It had been before his witch of a mother had abandoned him and his father for a pirate. Mulan looked up at them. "What do you have there?" She asked, still not fully trusting them. Emma looked up and showed her the drawing. Mulan nodded, satisfied. "Probably the owner's son. I feel pity for him. I can feel the dark magic around us." She muttered, before going outside to get more wood with Aurora.

Emma and Percival shared another look, before the auror sighed and took out his wand, magically expanding the room to fit all five of them without trouble. Mary Margaret looked around the room in wonder. "Wow, that's impressive." She said in awe. A clattering sound at the door made them look up. Mulan and Aurora looked at the even bigger room in shock. "How is this possible?" The warrior asked, picking up the wood that she had dropped. Percival shrugged. "I'm a wizard as well." He said simply, showing his wand. 

Mulan immediately reached towards her sword and Percival held up a hand. "It's alright. I don't mean any harm." He said. Mulan relaxed slightly, but not fully. Percival waved his wand again, transforming several objects into beds. Three of the women all choose one of the beds, but Emma turned towards him. "Aren't you going to sleep, dad?" She asked in slight concern. 

Percival shook his head, hesitant to sleep in a place that held so many memories to him. "Someone has to keep an eye out." He said. Emma smiled at him, guessing where his thoughts had gone to. Mulan nodded in approval at this. At least someone was taking the danger around them seriously. "Wake me in a few hours. I'll relieve you." She said, waiting for Percival's nod, before going to bed herself.

Emma waited for a few seconds, before walking towards her father. "Are you sure that you don't need me to stay up with you?" She asked in a hesitant tone. Percival smiled at her,  reaching out and caressing her cheek. "I will be fine, little one. Go to sleep. You will need your strength tomorrow." He said, kissing her forehead. Emma smiled at him and embraced him, wishing him goodnight, before going to bed. 

Left alone with his thoughts, Percival couldn't help, but remember the early years of his childhood, before his father became the dark wizard that he was today. He remembered that one night, there was a terrible noise of horses hooves thundering down the path outside the cottage. He had crawled into his father's bed and had told him that he was afraid. His father had comforted him, telling him that everything was going to be fine. He had fallen asleep in his father's bed, feeling safe in the man's arms. 

But now, his father had become something to be afraid of and that all for him. Percival sighed as the old, familiar guilt crept up again inside of him. His father had taken on the curse to save him, his only son. He had created the curse for him, if he had to believe his grandfather. He scoffed silently. His grandfather. Now, that was a whole other story. But it did seem that the apple really didn't fall far from the tree in some cases. 

He kept the fire going with the extra wood that Mulan had brought, before waking up the warrior after several hours had passed. Mulan nodded at him, before softly ordering him to go to sleep, sing that he would need his strength too. Percival sighed, but obeyed. He pulled off his shoes and crawled into the familiar feeling bed, closing his eyes and falling asleep after just a few minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last five minutes of Christmas day where I live. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and has a good new year's eve 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


	8. A wardrobe, a fight and a new face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group continues their journey to find a way home.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

The next morning, the group of five got ready to continue their journey. Percival turned everything back to normal and the women stepped out of the cottage. Emma noticed how her father stayed slightly behind and smiled just a tiny bit, closing the door behind her to give him some privacy and pretending to go to the toilet, so that he could have some time as well.

Percival looked and walked around the familiar cottage. Despite the last few months having been unpleasant, it still had been his home for 14 years and he knew that he would never come back here again. He saw the drawing from last night and carefully picked it up, before tucking it into his pocket as a reminder of the happier years and finally walking to the door. One hand on the handle, he took one last look around his old home and smiled, before stepping outside. 

While they were walking, Mary Margaret turned to Emma. "I know that you said that your father is a police officer, a magical one, I guess, but he's really suspicious about everything that he doesn't know and he is also very protective, almost over protective over you." She said softly. Emma sighed deeply. She knew that this subject would come to pass. Sharing a subtle look with her father, he nodded slightly. Emma turned back towards her mother.

"He's been like that ever since the dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald took over his identity and almost killed him." She said, making Mary Margaret softly gasp in horror. Emma nodded slightly in response. "He's never been the same after that. He was very weak for quite a while. He resigned his job. He spent more time with us. Not that he didn't spend time with us before." She hastily reassured the other woman at her raised eyebrow. 

"It was more that he always was very busy. He was pretty much the president's right-hand man, so he had a very important, but taxing position. But then Grindelwald happened and he realised that we were far more important than a stupid, taxing job." Emma said. Mary Margaret sighed deeply and nodded at that. That made more sense and the "older" woman was glad that he was such a good father to Emma. She just hoped that she would have such a good relationship with her, one day.

Meanwhile, Percival looked around for the umpteenth time, feeling that they were being followed, but he didn't see anything, although he fell two magical signatures except for his and Emma's. Both of them were too vague for him to recognise them, but they were there. However something happened that pushed those worries all the way to the back of his mind, as he noticed that the women had stopped walking

Mulan had stopped walking at the front of the group and gave the signal to stop, which they did. "What's going on?" Aurora asked, but the warrior shushed her quickly. There was silence for a few seconds, before a loud roar was heard nearby. "Ogres?" Emma guessed at seeing Percival's pale face. He simply nodded and quickly grabbed her arm, just as the monster broke through the trees. 

Percival pushed his daughter out of the way, before jumping away himself, the ogre narrowly missing him. Emma grunted as she hit the floor, hitting her head and temporarily being knocked out. The sound informed the ogre to her presence. Both Percival and Mary Margaret looked in horror at seeing the monster stomping towards their daughter, when there was another boom that came from somewhere between the trees that distracted the creature.

Percival wasted no time taking advantage of that distraction "You take down the ogre, I'll get Emma." Percival said, before disapparating extra loudly to distract the creature's attention even further away from his daughter. Percival reappeared in the trees, before silently apparating to his daughter's side. Mary Margaret didn't hesitate to obey, immediately preparing to fire an arrow.

"Back away from my daughter!" She shouted. The ogre immediately stomped towards her, just as Percival carefully lifted Emma up in his arms and ran towards safety. The blonde woman had woken up and sluggishly turned her head in time to see her mother aim the arrow and shoot it into the creature's eye. The beast roared in pain, before going down with a loud thud. Knowing that they were safe, Emma turned her head back against her father's chest and held onto him tightly. 

Percival gently put her down against a tree and healed any injury that his daughter had gotten. Mary Margaret quickly joined them. Emma looked at her. "When was the last time that you shot an arrow?" She asked, wincing when her father touched a sensitive spot at her temple. Percival immediately apologized and became more careful, until all the injuries were finally healed.

"Mary Margaret shrugged in answer. "28 years ago. I guess it's like riding a bike." She muttered, gently holding her daughter's hand. Emma allowed it, knowing that she gave the both of them quite a scare. She smiled, now knowing that both sets of her parents were awesome. Mary Margaret turned to Percival. "Sorry for the whole "my daughter" bit, but if I had said "our daughter", it would sound like we're a couple." She said. Percival simply laughed at that and said that it was fine

Once Emma felt better again, they continued on their way, arriving at the ruined castle by nightfall. Percival looked at it and smiled dryly. Even though it was completely broken down, he could see that it once had been a magnificent castle. Perfect for a princess. Emma saw his expression and gently grabbed his hand, looking at him in confusion. He chuckled slightly.

"It's a lot different than a simple apartment in New York or even the mansion." He said. Emma smiled and squeezed his hand. "Those places are home for me." She whispered, wrapping an arm around him. She didn't notice Mary Margaret's sad face, but Percival did and he sighed deeply. They really would have to talk about this, once the finally got back to Storybrooke.

They managed to get through the ruins, Percival using magic to move the biggest blocks out of the way. They arrived at a half destroyed room with the wardrobe, toys and a crib. Percival swallowed, knowing exactly what this room was supposed to be. Mulan and Aurora left to stand watch at the gate and a slightly awkward silence ensued. Mary Margaret lifted up a stuffed animal. 

"I never thought I'd see this place again. This room. It was your nursery." She said, confirming Percival's thoughts. Emma looked at the other woman in surprise. "I lived here?" Mary Margaret shook her head. "You never even got to spend a night. This is the life that I wanted you to have. I was going to teach you how to walk in here, how to talk, how to dress for your first ball. You never got to do any of it. We never got to be a family." She whispered, tears in her eyes. 

Emma walked towards her and gently grabbed her hand. "We have a family... We both do and they're in Storybrooke and right now they need us to get back there. So..."  She turned to the wardrobe. "How do we get this to work?" She asked, walking towards it. "Does it have an "on" switch?" She muttered, making her father laugh. "Emma, what does your uncle Malcolm always say?" He asked. Emma looked up at him. "Magic is never that easy." They quoted together and Emma sighed. Mary Margaret chuckled at that very true statement

"Yes, I know that is true, but still." She muttered. Mary Margaret inspected the wardrobe. "We'll have to get it back to the island. Hopefully, someone there has access to enough magic to make it work again. Unless... Percival?" She asked, who shook his head. "I'm afraid that magic trees aren't exactly my speciality." He said, before turning towards the door. "You can come out now, Lancelot." He called and after a few seconds, the soldier entered the room. 

Mary Margaret and Emma both looked at him in surprise. "How did you know that he was there?" Mary Margaret asked. Percival shrugged. "Old senses, I suppose. Mary Margaret conceded at that, before turning towards Lancelot. "Why are you here?" She asked. Lancelot explained that he had heard about the ogre attack and had come to see if they were alright. Percival raised an eyebrow at that.

"So, not only did you cross quite the distance in a very short amount of time, you also left your people without an actual leader and that with Cora nearby?" He asked sceptically. Mary Margaret narrowed her eyes just a tiny bit. That was an excellent point. Lancelot wouldn't just leave his people without protection. Sure, they were old friends, but leading the survivors seemed more important to her. And question about travelling was a good one as well. How did Lancelot get there so quick, when they were attacked only a few hours ago?

Lancelot bit his lip, before turning towards the wardrobe. "They will be fine. Now is this the famous wardrobe? He asked, very interested in the magic piece of wood. Percival and Mary Margaret shared a look, before dropping the subject. Lancelot kept asking questions about the wardrobe, until Emma had a question for him. "Why are you so interested?" She asked. Lancelot stumbled a bit at that, before. "I just want you to go home to your family. I'm sure that your brother Credence is worried sick about you." He said. 

In a flash, Percival had pulled his wand, Mary Margaret had pulled a sword and Emma created a fireball in her hands, much to the surprise of "Lancelot". Emma smirked a bit. "Hello Cora." She greeted. There was a puff of purple smoke and Cora replaced Lancelot. "Clever girl." She said, before revealing that she had killed the soldier a long time ago. She turned towards Mary Margaret. "Thank you, Snow. I've been looking for a way over for so long. I never thought the person to help me find it... would be you." She said.

She smirked, before waving her hand. Suddenly, Percival was in her grasp, his wand on the ground and a knife at his throat. "Well, aren't you a pretty boy. It's a shame that you're on the wrong side." She purred, carding her fingers through his hair, ignoring the man flinching. Emma tried to run forwards to save her father, but Mary Margaret stopped her, knowing that that was what Cora wanted .

Cora looked at Emma. "Douse the flames, princess or say goodbye to your precious daddy." She sneered, holding the knife tightly against the man's throat. She normally preferred to rip out people's hearts, but she enjoyed using blades at times. Percival looked at Emma, trying to silently tell her that it was alright. As long as she got back to earth, he would be happy. Emma shook her head at that, refusing to leave him behind

Emma was in a pinch, until she saw movement behind Cora: a cloaked figure had appeared behind the witch and was silently walking towards the wardrobe, a tiny lighter in their hands. Getting an idea to what their plan was, Emma and Mary Margaret quickly focused back on Cora, the former making the fireball disappear. Cora smiled in victory. "You see, my dear Emma: love is weakness and because of your pathetic love for your dear father, I have everything that I need to go back to my daughter." She said.

Behind her, the cloaked figure had lit a small flame and Emma smirked. "I wouldn't be too sure about that." She said. Cora narrowed her eyes in confusion, just before the wardrobe burst into flames, making her immediately turn towards it. Seeing that she was distracted, Emma used her magic to throw her away, without hurting her father. Percival immediately rejoined them, picking his wand up from the floor. 

Mulan and Aurora stormed back in, having been sent away earlier by the disguised Cora. Seeing that she was outnumbered, Cora sneered at everyone. "We're not done." She swore, before disappearing. Seeing that the danger had passed for now, Emma immediately ran towards her father and hugged him tightly, not wanting to let him go any time soon. She knew that he had been in worse situations, but she still hated it to see him in danger. Percival hugged her back just as tightly. "Sshh, it's alright, sweetheart. You saved me and we're both safe now." He whispered, stroking her hair.

Emma smiled. "Well, it wasn't just me." She said, before looking at the cloaked figure, who had retreated into a dark corner. Mulan immediately pulled her sword again. "Who are you? Come forward and say who you are." She ordered. Lifting their hands in a gesture of peace, the person slowly stepped out of the shadows. Percival held Emma tightly against him and Mary Margaret quickly joined them. Both of the two parents made sure that the figure stayed away from Emma.

The figure stepped in the middle of the room and carefully lifted their hands to pull down the hood of the cloak. Dark hair fell until his shoulders and clever brown eyes looked at all of them. "My name is Jonathan Torrow, my lady." He said, a small smile on his lips. The silence that followed was broken by Percival's groan. "Oh, out of all the people in all the worlds, why you?" He asked, scowling at the man and holding Emma even tighter. 

Jonathan turned towards him. "Because I was the only one that our good friend Malcolm could send here." He explained, tapping a funny-looking watch on his wrist. Percival sighed at that, knowing that he was right, as much as he hated to admit it. Jonathan continued. "Malcolm wants to apologise for the situation that he indirectly put you in. He would do it himself, but you know what happens when he leaves his home." He said and Percival nodded at that, although he wasn't happy about several things. 

Emma looked at her father's grumpy expression and chuckled. "Thank you, Jonathan for helping us." She said in her father's stead. Jonathan smiled gently at her. "No problem, Emma. I owe you and your family. Now, I really have to go. I was following a lead on a suspicious foster home and I'm going to check it out. I will check in on you from time to time. You better hurry back towards that island, before Cora does." He said, before waving at them. He pressed a button on his watch and disappeared. 

There was silence after he had disappeared, before Emma stepped out of her father's arms. "Well, you heard him. We need to tell the others that Lancelot died fighting a great evil and try and help them." She said, taking charge for a moment. Shaking herself, Mulan nodded at her words, before leaving with Aurora. Emma gently grabbed Percival's hand and they left too. Mary Margaret turned to take another look at the nursery, imagining it if she had gotten to raise Emma. She smiled tearfully, before following the group, ready to ask a lot of questions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this took so long. I literally had zero inspiration for this chapter.
> 
> Also, be prepared to see more of Jonathan as the story progresses 
> 
> Read and review. See you next time


	9. Author's note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiatus

I'm putting this story on a temporary hiatus as I'm struggling with a irritating writer's block and lack of inspiration.

I will update this story one day, but not now. I'm sorry


End file.
